Incoming Llano County Sheriff Marquis Cantu was hired by the Llano County Attorney’s Office as a part-time investigator to assist with criminal cases and learn the ropes before he pins on the sheriff’s badge in January 2025.

“Marquis brings his experience as a Texas ranger in dealing with serious crimes,” Llano County Attorney Dwain Rogers told DailyTrib.com. “In addition to that, it gives him the ability to understand and begin to get his hands around the county’s policies, procedures, and processes when he becomes the sheriff.”

Cantu will be the first new Llano County sheriff in 16 years. He effectively secured the position when he won the Republican nomination in the March 2024 primary election. No Democrat sought their party’s nomination, so Cantu will be unopposed in the November general election.

The future sheriff was serving as Llano County Precinct 1 justice of the peace but stepped down from that role when he announced his bid for sheriff in October 2023.

County Attorney Rogers hired Cantu for the part-time senior investigator’s job using funds granted to his office by Senate Bill 22 from the 88th Texas legislative session, which provides financial support for rural prosecutors. The Llano County Attorney’s Office received $175,000 from SB22, which must go toward staff salaries. About $40,000 will pay Cantu’s part-time salary through January. He will work up to 30 hours a week.

As an investigator, Cantu will review cases submitted to the Llano County Attorney’s Office and do the research and legwork necessary to build the prosecution’s case.

According to Cantu, his role as an investigator has already given him a deeper insight into the relationships between the Llano County Sheriff’s Office, attorney’s office, and county judge. Retiring Sheriff Bill Blackburn also brought him on board to oversee the LCSO’s current budget process.

“I’m learning how the county government works,” Cantu told DailyTrib.com. “The sheriff has opened his doors to me. It will be a smooth transition in January.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Over 20 changes were made to the 2024 Marble Falls Comprehensive Plan before it was approved with a 4-1 vote of the City Council on Tuesday, May 7.

Recommended changes to the 193-page document included removing “nebulous” language and updating data. The finalized plan can be read here.

Future city councils will use the document to guide decisions.

“This is not a trivial document,” Mayor Dave Rhodes said Tuesday at the meeting. “This is something that is concrete. It will outlast us, or at least most of us, on this dais. It’s something that our staff uses on a daily basis.”

Councilor Lauren Haltom was the only dissenting vote. 

“I didn’t agree with every comment made,” Haltom told DailyTrib.com after the meeting.

Councilors Griff Morris and Karlee Cauble were absent from the meeting.

The council delayed approval of the plan on April 16 to ensure members had time to read and understand the almost-200-page document.

“I hope we all took the time to read through it,” Mayor Rhodes said Tuesday. “I really wanted us to have time to understand what was in here and understand the implications of what is in here.”

Rhodes claimed the bulk of the data and statistics in the plan was “outdated.”

Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Chair Brian Shirley explained the source of the figures.

“They’re (U.S.) Census Bureau numbers,” he told Rhodes.

That fact didn’t sway the mayor’s opinion.

“I get it, but they’re old,” Rhodes said. “They’re Google numbers, as far as I’m concerned.”

Another issue for the mayor was the use of words such as “equity” and “inclusivity” in the document.

“There was a day when I’d go right past those words and not think one thing about it, but they mean something different today than they did back then,” he said. “It’s not consistent with who we are as Marble Falls.”

He recommended removing the words from the plan.

“What does equitable mean?” Rhodes said. “It’s pretty subjective. It needs to be written out. If you can’t quantify it, it’s not a very good guiding document.”

Councilor Bryan Walker echoed Rhodes’ concerns regarding the use of the words after the meeting.

“There’s a general trend of labeling and throwing as many labels (on people) as we can,” he told DailyTrib.com. “That’s not who we are in Marble Falls. We simply want the best applicants. We want the best people in positions, regardless of their upbringing, culture, or personal beliefs. We want the best people for the job.”

Rhodes also asked for changes to an item that recommended the establishment of new development review procedures or reduced fees for developments that integrate affordable housing options.

“We’re in lots of discussions about this topic, but it’s not the government’s ability, or even in our (city) charter, to work on affordable housing,” he said. “It’s not there.”

One inclusion in the plan that received Rhodes’ full support was opportunities for year-round programs and special events that reinforce a sense of community and small-town character.

“I really like this one,” he said. “This is right up my alley. I’m a big fan. I think we need to put a commission together. We need ideas for how to get this done.”

nathan@thepicayune.com

The largest sporting goods store in Texas could be coming to Marble Falls, and it “starts with an A,” according to representatives from The Shops at Flatrock Crossing, who would not name the chain at the Marble Falls City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 7.

“There’s a big anchor sporting goods store that’s based in Houston that we have agreed to all their lease comments today,” said Bobby Johnson, the shopping center’s tenant representative. “(The agreement) hasn’t been executed yet, so they don’t want us to say their name.”

The Shops at Flatrock Crossing is a $130 million, 350,000-square-foot retail center that is expected to be built on U.S. 281 between the 7-11 convenience store at FM 2147 East and the Marble Falls Rodeo Arena south of the bridge.

“We want to be in the ground by June 1,” said Johnson regarding the center’s construction schedule. “We’ll turn over space in August 2025 for an October opening.”

Johnson and development representatives are currently “in negotiations” with Ulta Beauty, T.J. Maxx, Five Below, Micheals, and Famous Footwear. Artisan jeweler James Avery has already signed its lease.

“My sales job has been fairly easy because if you mention Marble Falls, they’re all over themselves,” Johnson said.

The Marble Falls City Council unanimously approved a 10-year, $15 million sales-tax rebate for the shopping center at the meeting.

“We expect about $1.75 billion over the next 10 years,” said Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Christian Fletcher regarding the center’s projected economic impact.

An 87,050-square-foot grocery store is also planned for the development. 

“Literally, we’ve spoken with every grocer you can think of,” Johnson said. “The 8,000-pound gorilla that’s in town already scares the hell out of them. They just can’t compete.”

Johnson hinted that the “8,000-pound gorilla” (H-E-B) could be the eventual grocery tenant at The Shops at Flatrock Crossing.

“We think even if they did a second store or a smaller store, it would relieve some of the tension off of the store that they have because it’s packed all the time,” he said.

The shopping center will be able to accommodate any grocer who wants to include a fuel station.

“We’ve got a location we can put fuel in as well,” he said. “We can cover whatever they need if they’ll just give us the time.”

The Shops at Flatrock Crossing will be built on land that has been owned by the Roper family for about a hundred years.

“This is emotional for me, but this is something major for the community,” landowner Russ Roper said tearfully. “This is all to help the community.”

Roper offered insight into the inner workings of the deal.

“Our family is not selling the property,” he said. “We are partnering with Bobby Johnson and our development team to develop this property. This is not a sale; we are participating.”

Mayor Pro-tem Dee Haddock spoke directly to residents concerned about the shopping center “taking away business” from local business owners.

“People are leaving the area to get these products and services, so if (those products and services) are here, the people will stay here,” he said. “What does that create if people stay in the community and are not vacating it to shop elsewhere? They will go to the other stores that are here locally.”

Councilors Griff Morris and Karlee Cauble were absent from the meeting.

nathan@thepicayune.com

Voters turned out in force for the Sunrise Beach City Council election on May 4, choosing a new mayor and councilor and keeping a veteran councilor. 

Rob Hardy won the mayoral race with 211 votes, or 57.03 percent of the vote, to John Schwin’s 159, or 42.97 percent. Both candidates were sitting councilors seeking to fill the seat of Mayor Chellie Stewart, who chose not to run for re-election. 

“I want to continue the work of the council and of Mayor Chellie, who decided not to run,” Hardy told DailyTrib.com in a post-election interview. “They’re hard shoes to fill, but the good thing is that Chellie and I are not just colleagues, we’re neighbors and friends, and I will continue to seek her counsel and advice. I am very pleased with how things turned out, and I look forward to continuing the work of the citizens.”

Voters also chose two councilors. Three candidates ran, with the top two vote-getters taking seats.

Newcomer Jeffrey Cook won a seat with 234 votes, or 39.07 percent of the total cast. Incumbent Dan Gower kept his seat with 214, or 35.73 percent. Frank Donnell was unsuccessful in his bid with 151, or 25.21 percent of the votes cast.

Voter turnout

Sunrise Beach saw a large voter turnout compared to some of its neighbors in the Highland Lakes. 

According to the Llano County Elections Office, of the 789 registered voters in the city, 370 of them participated in the May 4 mayoral election, which comes out to 46.89 percent.

The percentage of registered voters who turned out to vote in Sunrise Beach far exceeds that of much larger communities nearby, like Granite Shoals and Marble Falls. The small lakeside town also had more voters overall than both of these cities in the May 4 local elections.

In Granite Shoals, 283 out of 2,782 (10.17 percent) of registered voters went to the polls.

In Marble Falls, 368 out of 4,721 (7.79 percent) of registered voters chose the one new council member.

Hardy attributes the relatively high voter turnout to the civic-minded residents of Sunrise Beach.

“We have a very interested and committed population out here,” Hardy said. “I’m incredibly gratified that so many people are interested in the well-being of the community. We had a huge turnout (for the election).”

dakota@thepicayune.com

The city of Granite Shoals lifted a boil water notice for all residents and businesses at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 7. The notice was put in place Sunday night after the city’s pump system was shut down to repair a major waterline break in the 200 block of Granite Castle Drive.

Residents should notify the city if they have heavily discolored water coming out of their faucets, Granite Shoals Utilities Superintendent Josh Hisey told DailyTrib.com. Because the water system was depressurized during repairs, some debris and seepage could have collected in residential plumbing and still need to be flushed out, he said. Call Hisey at 830-596-3320 or City Hall at 830-598-2424.

City staff began attempting repairs to the 6-inch line at around 3 a.m. Sunday. The amount of water rushing out of the broken pipe made it difficult to repair and depressurized the system, causing low-water pressure issues for residents. 

After 12 hours of working on the submerged pipe, city leadership chose to turn off the pump systems to facilitate repairs. Turning off the pumps causes untreated water to seep into the plumbing, necessitating a boil water notice. 

Repairs to the pipe were completed on Sunday and the pumps were turned back on soon after. Still, waterlines had to be flushed throughout Monday to clear any possible contaminated water from the system. 

Water samples were sent to the Lower Colorado River Authority Environmental Lab at around 2:30 p.m. Monday. The city received the green light from the LCRA to lift the boil water notice by Tuesday afternoon.

“To my knowledge, nobody has had any issues,” said Hisey regarding consumption of contaminated water.

The city is still looking into the exact cause of the line break, but Hisey said there are still no clear answers. He did note that the city had put a tap into the pipe near the break over a week before it occurred. An examination line showed no direct relationship between the tap and the break.

Stay informed 

Residents can sign up for Granite Shoals’ Eye on Water app to get alerts about major water issues and track their water usage. The system was installed in May 2023 and is available to anyone with a water meter in the city. Sign up online using the information on your water bill.

Other ways to stay informed:

Graniteshoals.org: The city’s website posts up-to-date information on major issues and city business.

City of Granite Shoals, Texas Facebook page: The city has an active Facebook page to dispense relevant information to residents.

Warn Central Texas: Sign up to receive notifications about major events and warnings for your area. You can sign up for specific locations, like Granite Shoals, and customize the types of alerts you want to receive.

Everbridge phone application: Granite Shoals began using the Everbridge app in 2023. Users can download it to receive alerts about city-specific events such as boil water notices and customize the types of alerts they receive.

Crews go above and ‘below’

When the 6-inch waterline broke early Sunday morning, city staff went to work. Heavy equipment was used to dig a hole to access the broken line, but the hole constantly filled with water, and workers had to make repairs while submerged.

Shutting off the city’s pumps allowed the crew to drain the hole, access the broken pipe, and repair it, which took another five hours, according to Mayor Ron Munos, who was on the scene along with City Councilor Steve Hougen and Interim City Manager Sarah Novo.

“I was amazed and proud of the hard work by our water and streets team,” Munos said in a Facebook post. “They worked tirelessly in very difficult conditions. I am so very proud of them and want to thank them, both as a citizen and as mayor. If you see any of our workers, please thank them as well.”

The city’s utilities and street staff were forced to work without power tools on the submerged pipe. They also reportedly burned through 24 air packs while submerging themselves to make the repairs. 

Repairing the line was top priority, Novo said. Many residents experienced extremely low water pressure during the break.

“Ultimately, the water pressure was not there for the community,” she explained. “This was a main line which served the majority of the community.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Meadowlakes voters chose two new councilors and re-elected the city’s mayor on May 4. The winners will be sworn in to the City Council at 5 p.m. May 21 at Totten Hall, 177 Broadmoor St.

Don Wheeler beat Mike Barry in an open race for the Place 1 council seat by a 256-108 margin, while challenger Carolyn Richmond defeated incumbent Councilor Jerry Drummond 278-85 for Place 3. 

Meadowlakes Mayor Mark Bentley amassed 85.95 percent of the overall vote against challenger Aaron Codispoti to claim his third term.

Bentley was honored by the outcome.

“I was pleased to see the confidence that the residents placed in me to serve another term,” he said.

A $7.5 million voter-approved bond to demolish and rebuild the city’s clubhouse and swimming pool should dominate conversations in council chambers over the next term, Bentley said. 

Plans include combining the Hidden Falls clubhouse and pro shop and expanding the city pool by 1,000 square-feet.

“We need to steward through the construction of the facilities, hire the right people to do them, and monitor the process as it goes along,” Bentley said.

Another major issue facing Meadowlakes is filling the future vacancy left by longtime City Manager Johnnie Thompson. He is set to leave the community after 40 years at the end of September.

“We’ve sent out applications and narrowed it down to about six (candidates),” Bentley said. “We’re still accepting applications, some as recently as last week. We need to pour through all that, and if we’re satisfied with one of those candidates, we’ll probably go with it. If we’re not, we’ll probably continue to search.”

Bentley is confident Meadowlakes will meet its previous deadline of hiring a new city manager before the city’s budgeting process begins this summer.

“It’s clear that we still have the chance to get someone in place by the time budgeting starts,” he said.

DailyTrib.com was unable to reach councilors-elect Wheeler or Richmond at the time of this story’s publication.

nathan@thepicayune.com

Granite Shoals has a new Place 6 city councilor after Catherine Bell decisively defeated incumbent Councilor Phil Ort in the May 4 election. Voters also passed all 19 proposed amendments to the city’s charter. These big changes were made in an election with the lowest voter turnout in the city since 2016.

Bell won the Place 6 seat with 234 votes, or 82.69 percent of total votes cast, to Ort’s 49 votes, or 17.31 percent of total votes cast. According to the Burnet County Elections Office, only 283 out of 2,782 registered voters in Granite Shoals, or 10.17 percent, participated in the election.

Councilors Brian Edwards (Place 1), Mike Pfister (Place 2), and Steve Hougen (Place 4), all incumbents, ran unopposed for their two-year terms. 

The councilors will take their oaths of office on May 14.

Bell is a Burnet County native who has lived in Granite Shoals since 2008 and been active at City Council meetings for the past several years. She worked for the Texas Department of Insurance Enforcement Division in Austin for 26 years before retiring in 2018.

“At the forefront of my mind is to keep Granite Shoals moving in a positive direction,” Bell told DailyTrib.com after her May 4 victory. “I want to hear from the citizens. I want to hear what they have to say.”

Ort was a two-term councilor, first elected in 2020. His tenure was eventful and, at times, controversial. 

Before he was elected, Ort spearheaded opposition to council members for approving a substantial raise for former City Manager Jeff Looney, who was later fired in 2022. 

While on the council, he was censured in 2022 for allegedly fabricating dozens of complaints in support of a dark skies ordinance in Granite Shoals. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to a 2021 vandalism charge for keying a car in the Marble Falls H-E-B parking lot. He also was the first person to publicly share a recording of former City Manager Peggy Smith discussing ways to kill the city’s feral cats, which eventually led to her resignation in January 2024. 

Ort was also an advocate for the city’s parks and residents’ property rights. 

“I believe that Catherine Bell will make a great counselor,” he wrote in a post-election statement to DailyTrib.com. “I have known her to be level-headed and strong. There are many difficult decisions that the council will have to make in the future and I feel the city is in good hands. For me, I now have more time to spend with my family and to catch up with the many chores that have been piling up. I want to thank my supporters and I want them to know they can always reach out to me.”

CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Granite Shoals voters also approved all 19 proposed city charter amendments on the ballot. Many of the changes were clerical corrections or adjustments in language, but some could impact how the city is run. 

Proposition C was slightly controversial. This amendment removes the power to hire and fire the city secretary from the council and gives it to the city manager. Some councilors argued this could cause a rift between the city secretary and the council, while others said all city staff should be under the city manager’s administrative umbrella.

Proposition G was a win for government transparency. City staff will now be required to provide financial reports on a monthly rather than quarterly basis. This change was fueled by historically poorly presented financials from past Granite Shoals leadership.

VOTER TURNOUT

Despite big decisions on the ballot, Granite Shoals voters did not show up at the polls, totaling the lowest turnout in eight years:

• May 2024—283 voters
• May 2023—423 voters
• May 2022—474 voters
• May 2021—No order of election
• November 2020—1,216 voters (presidential election ballot)
• May 2019—No order of election
• May 2018—351 voters
• May 2017—368 voters
• May 2016—191 voters

Bell regularly participates as an election judge for Granite Shoals but was unable to this time because she was a candidate. She acknowledged that low voter turnout is a problem.

“I don’t know how to get people to vote,” she said. “It takes five minutes. It is a freedom that each and every citizen who registers to vote has. You need to do your civic duty by going out and voting. That is you speaking for how you feel.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Heavy, consistent rainfall across the Colorado River Basin over the past 10 days, from April 26 through May 6, resulted in the first major gains for lakes Buchanan and Travis in three years. The two reservoirs could continue to rise due to the steady and powerful flows of the Colorado and Llano rivers.

Lake Buchanan has risen by nearly 3 feet and Lake Travis by almost a foot since the end of April. The last time the lakes rose this quickly in a month was in May 2021 for Buchanan and June 2021 for Travis.

As of noon Monday, May 6, Lake Buchanan sits at 998 feet above mean sea level, up from 995.14 msl on April 30, the highest since August 2023. Buchanan has gained over 40,800 acre-feet of water since the storms began around April 26, bringing its current total volume to 459,387 acre-feet, or 52 percent full. 

As of noon Monday, Lake Travis sits at 631.54 msl, up from 630.62 msl on April 30, the highest since December 2023. Travis has gained over 11,815 acre-feet of water since April 26, bringing its total volume to 435,798 acre-feet, or 39 percent full. 

The rise in lake levels can be attributed even more to rainfall in counties farther north and west in the Colorado River Basin that contain countless tributaries that feed into the Colorado and Llano rivers.

According to Lower Colorado River Authority Hydromet rain gauges, as measured since April 26, Marble Falls has received 2.44 inches of rain, Burnet 3.5 inches, Kingsland 2.91 inches, Buchanan Dam 3.01 inches, and Llano 1.94 inches.

The LCRA Hydromet showed the real rain gains for the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Buchanan, were made in Mills, Brown, McCulloch, San Saba, and Lampasas counties. Some gauges in these counties measured over 9 inches of rainfall and many measured over 5 inches since April 26.

The Hydromet also showed several inches of rain on many of the gauges across the Llano River’s watershed in remote portions of Llano County and in Mason and Kimble counties since April 26. 

The Colorado and Llano rivers began surging on May 3 with the consistent rainfall, and their flows have remained steady into Monday.

The Colorado River was flowing at 1,200 cubic-feet per second when the surge began on May 3, up from about 200 cfs on May 2. The river then rocketed to a peak flow of over 22,600 cfs on Sunday, May 5. It was at 20,400 cfs as of noon Monday.

The Llano River was flowing at 1,400 cfs when the surge began on May 3, up from about 75 cfs on May 2. The river leapt to a peak flow of about 6,300 cfs on Sunday but had dropped back to 1,400 cfs as of noon Monday.

dakota@thepicayune.com

Former Mayor Richard Westerman is back on the Marble Falls City Council as the Place 5 councilor after defeating incumbent Dee Haddock and challenger John Davis on Election Day, May 4. The election was marred by low voter turnout, a 20-percent drop from 2023.

Westerman will be sworn in during a special meeting of the council at noon May 14 in City Hall, 800 Third St.

The vote tally in the three-man race was 181 for Westerman, 161 for Haddock, and 26 for Davis. 

“Thank you to everyone for your support and taking the time to vote,” Westerman said. “I’m ready to go back to work on the Marble Falls City Council for the people of our community.”

His top priority for the upcoming two-year term is managing growth.

“Everyone knows our small town is growing,” Westerman said. “There is a lot going on and common sense needs to prevail. We need to manage the growth while we continue to enhance our small-town character.”

Westerman would also like to see changes made to the City Charter to do away with at-large positions on the council. All councilors are currently elected at-large.

“We need to consider changing our city charter so that each council member represents a certain district,” he said. “This will ensure that citizens, neighborhoods, and areas of town are equally represented.” 

The win marks the end of Haddocks’s three-year tenure on the Marble Falls City Council after being appointed in 2021 and running uncontested in 2022. The loss also ends his time on the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors as a council designee.

“We got a lot done and met a lot of challenges,” said Haddock, who is also the mayor pro-tem. “It sets us up for future challenges with the growth that we have.”

Challenger Davis has no plans to run for the council in the future following defeats in 2014, 2023, and now 2024.

“I just don’t see any sense in it,” he said.

Haddock is less certain about his future in government.

“The Lord controls everything,” he said. “Wherever Jesus takes me, he takes me. I think that’s the best description for what’s going to happen in the future.”

LOW TURNOUT

Only 368 voters cast a ballot in the Marble Falls election, a 20 percent drop in turnout over 2023. 

“I always feel it is unfortunate that we have a low turnout for city and school board elections,” Westerman said. “It seems as though you have to have controversy in order to get people to come out and vote.”

Haddock also pushed for residents to be more involved civically.

“I would encourage people to find out when elections are and participate,” he said. “I’m not telling people how to vote, but to participate. It is a right that not a lot of people have. It is a right that a lot of people died for.”

A look at historical vote totals in Marble Falls paints a bleak picture. Voter turnout fell from 16 percent from 2003-13 to 7.3 percent from 2014-24, according to an analysis by DailyTrib.com.

“(Residents) gripe and complain, but no one votes,” Davis added. “Nobody listens.”

nathan@thepicayune.com